Politics & Government

One of the criticisms frequently aimed at Congress is that "gridlock" where decisions come slowly, if at all, as both sides draw their respective lines in the sand, and there's just not much compromising.

That is not the case with state legislatures across the country where, thanks to one-party control in 37 states, we're seeing action and lots of it.

Stateline is an independent, non-partisan news service of the Pew Charitable Trusts. This week it released its annual review of state legislatures, giving us a look at the major budget and policy developments at all 50 state capitols.

Scott Greenberger, an editor for Stateline, joined us today in the studio.

Listen to the full interview above.

Close your eyes for a moment and think about what America looked like, say, in 1962, the furniture, the architecture, the cars. We explore the huge role Michigan had in mid-20th century design.

And, before National Fudge Day--yes there is such a thing--we take a trip to Mackinac Island, which has a pretty legitimate claim as the modern day Capital of Fudge.

And, we interviewed an entrepreneur from Waterford who has developed a unique way for women to show appreciation for the men in their lives.

Also, we took a look at the recent Pew research report.

First on the show, we turned to Detroit News Columnist Daniel Howes for our weekly Thursday check-in.

The theme for today's conversation seems to be: the Day of Reckoning is at hand for Detroit.

Governor Rick Snyder signed a nearly $50 billion state budget today for the coming fiscal year.

It puts a large deposit into the state's "rainy day" savings account, and boosts funding for schools and early childhood programs. The Governor says a $65 million appropriation will cut in half the waiting list for kids from low-income families to get into Great Start.

"A major jump that will give the opportunity for hopefully 16,000 additional kids to be part of Great Start. I hope we're back here next year talking about another $65 million so we can make that whole waiting list go away," said Snyder.

The budget also includes more money for Medicaid dental care for kids.

The governor says there is still some unfinished business with the budget -- namely, a federally funded expansion of the Medicaid program and raising 1.2 billion dollars for roads.

It was a little late (they were shooting for June 1), but they got it done.

Michigan Gov. Snyder signed the budget into law this afternoon. After doing so they took to social media to fluff their feathers about their accomplishment:

Michigan State House Speaker Jase Bolger (R-Marshall) could be opening the door to extending civil rights protections to gays and lesbians. That would outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation in areas such as employment and housing.

The state's civil rights act protects a variety of groups from discrimination. It includes protections for categories like race and age, but sexual orientation has yet to be included.